


Too Short a Vacation

by Bluewolf458



Category: The Sentinel (TV)
Genre: Gen, Sentinel Thursday
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-21
Updated: 2020-04-21
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:13:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23767501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluewolf458/pseuds/Bluewolf458
Summary: Blair's years of traveling (before he met Jim)
Kudos: 8





	Too Short a Vacation

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the Sentinel Thursday prompt 'pound'

Too Short a Vacation

by Bluewolf

Blair had visited many countries over the years - as a child travelling with a footloose mother who seemed incapable of settling anywhere for more than three or four weeks, as a student going on usually short expeditions with his university lecturers, as a grad student who had left University having got his Masters; learned to fly helicopters and then participated in Desert Storm as pilot of a medical helicopter. That part of his life came to a shattering halt when his helicopter was shot at by the Iranians - although injured, he managed to get his helicopter and the injured men it was carrying back to his base before collapsing less than a minute after landing.

Invalided back to America and discharged, he spent the next two months recuperating before returning to Rainier and entering the doctoral program. At least because he already had his Bachelor’s and Master’s, he was ABD; he had no classes to take. Not quite sure what to make the subject of a dissertation, he did consider Desert Storm as a subject, but after spending a week considering it and making notes on the subject, he rejected it. If his subject had been history, yes, it would have been a viable theme; but it was not, he decided, viable for an anthropologist.

Still thinking about a valid theme for his dissertation, because he had time off before the new semester at Rainier began, he also began to plan a two-week vacation, and had decided to visit the United Kingdom. He remembered having been there once as a teenager, but Europe had never been one of Naomi's favorite places - although she had visited many countries, she had always tended to prefer the ones with contemplative religions like Buddhism, and after Blair went to Rainier Nepal had become her destination of choice. But Blair had a vague memory of visiting some caves when they went to England, and thought he would like to go there again.

He opened his laptop and searched for 'England, caves'. The search brought up several, but when he saw the names he remembered the ones they had visited; Wookey Hole and Cheddar Gorge. Yes; it would be interesting to visit them again.

He decided on a touring holiday, so when he booked his ticket for London he also hired a car. He flew overnight, landing early in the morning, claimed his car and drove off westwards, heading for Glastonbury, a place he could also remember visiting on that ten-year-past vacation. He drove quite slowly, roughly forty miles an hour, very aware that he was driving on the 'wrong' side of the road; the last thing he wanted to do was start his vacation with an accident.

He reached Glastonbury after some three and a half hours, found a nice-looking B&B and booked in for two nights. Then he went in search of a meal before heading for the Tor. He paid two pounds for a very reasonable meal, dropped a further pound in the jar on the counter marked 'staff gratuities' and left, headed for the Tor.

The view from the top was magnificent and he relaxed there for a while before heading back to his B&B.

Next day he visited Wookey Hole in the morning, finding it didn't quite live up to his memory of it, and the Cheddar Caves, which were as spectacular as he remembered, in the afternoon.

He was far enough west and south that he decided to make Land's End his destination for the next day. Then he headed north, following the west coast, with John o' Groats his target. He visited the Lake District, spending a day there, headed on northwards, through Glencoe, then made a side trip to see the brochs in Glenelg; headed on by Gairloch and the Falls of Measach to Ullapool; on to Durness and along the coast road to John o' Groats; down the coast road to Inverness and on to Edinburgh - by then reasonably comfortable with driving on the left hand side of the road. He spared the next morning to explore Edinburgh Castle, then, aware of how the days were passing, carried on south to Newcastle. From there he went to Whitby, where he spent an hour, then carried on southwards to Hull.

From Hull he headed straight back to London, aware that there was only another day left of his vacation, and wishing he had booked for three weeks rather than two. He had had to bypass several places that Google told him were worth a visit.

And as he boarded his flight back to Cascade, he knew that one day he would be back, with time enough to explore some of the places he had had to miss on this vacation.


End file.
